Article,
Consequences of cyclic vegetation management for arthropod survival: Simulation experiments
Basic and Applied Ecology, 8 (4): 321--331 (July 2007)
DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2006.09.011
Abstract
Summary
Many rare arthropod species occupy open grasslands. Mowing or grazing is needed to preserve the habitat for these species. Alternatively the vegetation cover in parts of the managed area can be periodically destroyed by ploughing or rototilling. Such treatment results in a dynamic mosaic of habitat patches in different stages of succession. This mosaic may serve as a habitat for many species. However, the interplay between the frequency of rototilling, the spatial structure of the landscape and life history attributes of the animal species will determine the success of such cyclic management strategies. We used a spatially implicit individual-based metapopulation model to examine optimal spatio-temporal management strategies. The model explicitly incorporates succession, population dynamics and dispersal between habitat patches.
Optimal management patterns strongly depend on the species’ properties. Our simulation experiments show that in general the more fertile species with strong intraspecific competition are most robust against the large fluctuations of habitat quality resulting from cyclic management. However, the best management strategies found in our experiments cover the requirements of up to 70\% of the species tested. Frequent management of relatively small sub-areas minimizes local fluctiations of patch capacity. Though reducing effective patch capacity by more than 50\% these strategies may support the survival of the majority of species.
